Hello all.

I wanted to share my story on the site about IBS. I am a 20 year old female living in Sacramento, California. I was diagnosed with IBS (the doctors didn’t say what type it was, but I believe its IBS-A) about 5 months ago, so I’m a newbie to all this. I know I still have a lot to learn about living with this condition, but I hope my story can help contribute to this site…

It all started in October of 2009. I woke up feeling sick to my stomach and had diarrhea, what I thought was the stomach flu. I was scheduled to go to my part time job in the afternoon, working with special needs teenagers in an after school program. I waited to see if I would feel better, but my symptoms didn’t subside so I called in sick. I just figured it was the stomach flu and would have to wait it out. Three days later, I am still experiencing these symptoms. I had to keep calling in sick from my job and also not attend my junior college classes. Finally, after about 6 days of feeling this I decided to visit my doctor. I told her my symptoms and she agreed with my diagnosis of a stomach virus and told me to just wait it out. So for the next two weeks I just kept calling in sick from work and missing my classes. Still, everyday I would have intermittent diarrhea and constipation (which I know sounds contradictory but if you have IBS-A you understand this, lol), sharp lower abdominal pain, nausea, bloating, gas and fatigue. I went back to the doctors a second time and they agreed this seemed unusual to be a stomach virus lasting so long. They ordered a general blood test, urine sample, stool sample and ultrasound. At this point I realized I can’t keep calling in sick at work and missing my classes at school, so I make the tough decision of dropping out for the fall semester and taking a temporary sick leave from work. I have the tests done and they all come back normal. I am so frustrated because I feel sick but do not know why. I go back to the doctor two more times. My third visit she does her usual shrug of the shoulders, then tells me I might have a condition called IBS, mixed with fibromyalgia which is causing my pain and clinical depression which is causing me emotional distress and exacerbating my IBS symptoms. She prescribes me the antidepressant cymbalta. I’m some what familiar with all this medical jargon, being my mother has IBS and fibromyalgia, and that ever since the age 10 I’ve been diagnosed with clinical depression. But I am so confused by how the doctors describes everything to me and feel she is just trying to get me out of her office. I try taking the prescription medication, as well as starting a very strict diet (like a B.R.A.T type thing). Still nothing works, and I am still not 100% sure if I really have IBS or maybe they need to do more tests. I go back to my doctors for a fourth time, and am referred to a gastroenterologist. By this time I have been sick with this undiagnosed stomach illness for 2 months and unable to work or have hardly any social life because I am always not feeling good. I go to my G.I., he examines me and again says “Well, it appears to just be IBS, which if it is you will just have to do your own research.” He orders one final test to rule out that its IBS verses something like an irritable bowel disorder (IBD), since I also started having blood in my stool. A word that made me cringe: colonoscopy! But at this point I am so desperate for an answer I agree to do it. They perform the procedure (which could be an essay in itself), and find only internal hemorrhoids (causing the bleeding) and a few simply polyps that were later found benign.

So, after 3 months of medical tests I finally am solid in my diagnosis of IBS. I stop taking my antidepressant (because for me it wasn’t helping and just causing more constipation), start a IBS friendly diet (I stay away from red meats, fried foods, diary, that sort of stuff), am taking the antispasmodic Bentyl (I’m still debating if its working but I’ll stick to it) and also OTC medications like Gas-X, Imodium MD etc on very symptomatic days… I started back at my job about a month ago, its just 9 hours a week which is good for me right now. I plan to go back to school this fall. I’m still working on becoming more social, like getting back into my local church and making commitments to hang out with friends and family. I’m actually learning that doing things socially, getting out of the house can help me when I’m having an IBS attack to get my mind off it. And sometimes, for example if I’m having a symptomatic day and I still push myself to go to work, I notice that by the end of the day I feel better! I am just at the beginning of my journey of coping with IBS and I still have a lot to learn. Thankfully resources like this site are out there for us. So my advice for anyone who has IBS is to research about it, make appropriate diet and medication changes to your life and don’t stress! You are not alone. God Bless and keep fighting the good fight =)!

By: TrueLoveNeverDies